When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. Ver. 1. _Great multitudes followed him_] Many thousands, as _Bodinius De Claritate Christi_ proveth out of ancient writers. This drew upon our Saviour the envy of the Pharisees, those cankered curls who, Sejanus-like, thought a... [ Continue Reading ]
And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. Ver. 2. _And, behold, there came a leper_] This leprosy was most rife in our Saviour's time; God so ordering that Judea was sickest when her Physician was nearest. The Jews are still a nasty pe... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jesus put forth _his_ hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Ver. 3. _And Jesus put forth his hand, &c._] The law forbade _contactum contagionis, non sanationis._ The high priest might enter a leprous house, &c. "We have not an high pries... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. Ver. 4. _See thou tell no man_] Christ despised popular applause, accounting it no other than a little stinking breath. Some do all for a n... [ Continue Reading ]
And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, Ver. 5. _There came unto him a centurion_] _Rarior est virtus veniens e corpore raro._ Soldiers are commonly fierce and godless creatures. But this noble centurion might well have made a commander in that Th... [ Continue Reading ]
And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. Ver. 6. _Lord, my servant lieth at home, &c._] Not thrown out of doors, not cast sick into a corner, to sink or swim, for any care his master would take of him; no, nor left to be cured at his own charges. The good... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. Ver. 7. _I will come and heal him_] _Stupenda dignatio; _ a wonderful condescending that the Lord of lords should vouchsafe to visit a poor servant and restore him to health. _a_ It was a great favour that Queen Elizabeth did Sir Christopher Hatto... [ Continue Reading ]
The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. Ver. 8. _Lord, I am not worthy, &c._] _Fidei mendica manus; _ faith is an emptying grace, and makes a man cry out with Pomeran: _Etiamsi non sum di... [ Continue Reading ]
For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this _man_, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth _it_. Ver. 9. _For I am a man_] But thou, Lord, art more than a man; for the centurion here makes comparison with our Sa... [ Continue Reading ]
When Jesus heard _it_, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. Ver. 10. _He marvelled, and said, &c._] What can be so great a marvel as that Christ marvelleth? So he wondered at his own work in Nathanael, John 1:47, an... [ Continue Reading ]
And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. Ver. 11. _Many shall come from the east_] They shall "fly as a cloud," saith Isaiah (speaking of the conversion of the Gentiles), and so flock to the Chu... [ Continue Reading ]
But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Ver. 12. _But the children of the kingdom_] Those that had made a covenant with God by sacrifice,Psalms 50:5; and therefore held their heads on high, as already destined to the diade... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, _so_ be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. Ver. 13. _And as thou hast believed, &c._] Faith hath a happy hand; and never but speeds in one kind or other. It hath what it would, either in money... [ Continue Reading ]
And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. Ver. 14. _He saw his wife's mother laid, &c._] A wife, then, Peter had, and if a good wife, she might be a singular help to him in his ministry; as Nazianzen's mother was to her husband, not a companion... [ Continue Reading ]
And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. Ver. 15. _And he touched her hand_] A speedy and easy cure of the fever, such as Hippocrates or Galen had never the skill of. They do it not but by many evacuations, long diet, &c.; besides that, much gold mus... [ Continue Reading ]
When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with _his_ word, and healed all that were sick: Ver. 16. _When the even was come_] In the morning he sowed his seed, and in the evening he withheld not his hand, Ecclesiastes 11:6. It is... [ Continue Reading ]
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare _our_ sicknesses. Ver. 17. _Himself took our infirmities_] The prophet speaketh of spiritual infirmities, the evangelist applieth it to corporal. And not unfitly; for these are the prop... [ Continue Reading ]
Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. Ver. 18. _To depart unto the other side_] Either to retire or repose himself after much pains (for _quod caret alterna requie, &c., _ the very birds, when building their nests, fly abroad sometimes fro... [ Continue Reading ]
And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. Ver. 19. _Master, I will follow thee, &c._] As Samson followed his parents till he met with a honeycomb; or as a dog follows his master till he come by a carrion. _Vix diligitur Iesus, propter Iesum._... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air _have_ nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay _his_ head. Ver. 20. _The foxes have holes, &c._] _q.d._ _Exigua mihi sunt subsidia aut praesidia. Nudus opum, sed cui coelum terraque paterent, _ as Ennius said of Archim... [ Continue Reading ]
And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Ver. 21. _Lord, suffer me first to go and bury_] Old men's fear is (saith Plutarch, and that makes them so gripple) that they shall not have θρεψοντας και θαψοντας, those that will be careful to nourish them... [ Continue Reading ]
But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. Ver. 22. _Follow me_] Let go things less necessary, and mind the main. Thy task is long, thy time is short; opportunities are headlong, and must be quickly caught, as the echo catcheth the voice. There is no use of after wit. ... [ Continue Reading ]
And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. Ver. 23. _And when he was entered, &c._] Himself was first in the ship where they were to suffer. Like a good shepherd, he goes before his sheep, John 10:4. Like a good captain, he goes before his soldiers; and as it was said of Hanni... [ Continue Reading ]
And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. Ver. 24. _And, behold, there arose a great tempest_] Stirred up, likely, by the devil, to drown Christ (that male child of the Church, Rev 12:5) and his disciples; as he killed... [ Continue Reading ]
And his disciples came to _him_, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. Ver. 25. _Master, save us, we perish_] Troubles drive us to God (as bugbears do children into their mother's bosom), who delighteth to help those that are forsaken of their hopes. In prosperity, either we pray not at... [ Continue Reading ]
And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. Ver. 26. _And he saith unto them_] Christ first chides them, and then chides the winds and waves. Men are most malleable in time of misery, Job 33:23. Stri... [ Continue Reading ]
But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! Ver. 27. _Even the winds and the sea obey him_] He lays laws upon all creatures, which are his hosts. The winds and sea fought for us apparently in that " _Octogesimus octavus mirabilis annus:_ " ... [ Continue Reading ]
And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. Ver. 28. _Coming out of the tombs_] There the devil kept them, the more to terrify them with the fear... [ Continue Reading ]
And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? Ver. 29. _What have we to do with thee_] Horrible impudence. As if Christ were not concerned when his members are vexed. David felt his own coat cut and his... [ Continue Reading ]
And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. Ver. 30. _A herd of many swine feeding_] _Suillo pecori anima pro sale data, _ saith Varro. Swinish epicures also have their souls but for salt to keep their bodies from putrifying. That was a rotten speech of Epicurus, that life... [ Continue Reading ]
So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. Ver. 31. _So the devils besought him_] For threaten him they dared not, as little as the Gadarenes, Matthew 8:34, because they found themselves overpowered. At one time they had set upon our Saviou... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. Ver. 32. _And he said unto them, Go_] 1. To show his sovereignty over the creatures. He is the gr... [ Continue Reading ]
And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. Ver. 33. _And they that kept them fled_] So do parasitical pastors leave their forlorn flocks to danger and destruction; letting the devils hurry them to hell... [ Continue Reading ]
And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought _him_ that he would depart out of their coasts. Ver. 34. _They besought him to depart_] This was as great madness, as to wish, because they had been scorched by the sun, they might see no more of it. And yet ho... [ Continue Reading ]